


The Only Place I Call Home

by Molly_Hats



Series: Batfam Week 2018 [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batwoman (Comic), Huntress (Comics)
Genre: Batfam Week 2018, Bette has issues, Gen, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-31
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-19 16:51:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15514254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Molly_Hats/pseuds/Molly_Hats
Summary: Day Three:HomecomingFor Bette, home was temporary, never there for her to return to.  Everyone and everywhere eventually pushed her away to the next relative, the next boarding school.  But a figure from her past changes the pattern.





	The Only Place I Call Home

Bette was 15 when Matron summoned her to her office for the last time. She was tall for her age, with short blonde hair that framed her face. It was the only individuality in her raspberry school uniform.

 

Matron—Aunt Kathy—looked up from her desk. “Bette. It’s time for you to leave St. Hadrian’s.” 

 

“What’s wrong?” Bette asked, approaching the desk. “I won’t graduate for three years—“

 

“We are closing down the younger branch of the school. It will only be a college now.”

 

“Why aren’t you telling all of us this? Are you leaving?”

 

Kathy sighed. “You will move out earlier to avoid suspicion.”

 

 _That’s not fair_ danced on the tip of Bette’s tongue, but she knew better than to let it out. Kathy wasn’t just her administrator, she was her guardian. Different treatment wouldn’t be unusual or unheard of.

 

Kathy continued, “you can never tell anyone about your time here. Not even Helena.”

 

“But won’t Helena remember it for herself?”

 

“No,” Kathy said. “She won’t. No one will remember your time here: We have technology that will wipe you from their memory.”

 

“What? How?” Bette’s eyes lit up with curiosity before the context sank in, sending them down to stare at the corner of Kathy’s desk. “Can I...say goodbye, at least?”

 

Kathy shook her head. She stood up, walking around the desk to stand in front of Bette. She placed a hand on Bette’s shoulder. “No. She’s already forgotten you.”

 

Bette gaped at the bluntness and the realization itself.

 

Kathy gently reached out to lift Bette’s chin, but Bette weaseled away, freeing herself from Kathy’s grip on her shoulder. “How could you do that?”

 

“Bette, it's for your own good!” Kathy said. “You think your family would accept you like this? The _Kanes_? They wouldn’t trust you, they wouldn’t like this part of you, and you need everything you can get. Trust me, I know!”

 

“So you’re not coming with me or letting me stay with you.” Bette said, suddenly quiet. “You’re sending me away.”

 

Kathy let out a long, slow breath. “Yes, Bette. I’m sorry.”

 

Bette stared at the floor, her hair covering her face. Kathy bit back a remark about St. Hadrian’s women and posture, slowly approaching her ward. 

 

“Are you alright?” Kathy asked.

 

Bette’s head suddenly shot up, a convincing smile splitting her features, even reaching to her eyes. “Of course, Aunt Kathy. Why wouldn’t I be? It would be...unfair of me to ask you to put me above your calling.” 

 

“Bette…”

 

“It’s fine,” Bette insisted. “So, where am I supposed to have gone instead of here?”

 

Kathy pulled a dossier from the desk and slid it across to Bette, who opened it and began to read one of the pamphlets that fell out.

 

“St. Adrien’s?” 

 

Kathy stiffly said, “It includes promotional materials as well as first hand accounts and internal details.”

 

“Thank you, Matron,” Bette said in a clear voice she reserved for school personnel. She lowered it before continuing. “And...thank you for letting me come here. For being my guardian, even if it was temporary.” She smiled again, radiating happiness in a feat of acting for which her teachers at St. Hadrian’s would be proud to take credit.

 

Kathy nodded. “Thank you. I...care about you, you know.”

 

Bette exhaled. “Yeah, I know.” 

 

Kathy looked into Bette’s eyes as if trying to memorize her face. “ _Nicomedia_.”

 

Bette’s eyes glazed over, and she fell to the floor.

* * *

,

**Five Years Later**

At ten minutes to seven, Bette checked her watch. “Gotta go, Timmers,” she said. 

 

“Aww! Where?” Tim said disappointedly. He pointed to the Wimbledon still playing on the screen. “We’re midway through the match.”

 

“I gotta go home,” Bette said, enjoying the thrill it still sent through her. She and Helena had only been sharing an apartment for a month, and she still felt stupid happy whenever she thought of it. “I promised I’d pick up some groceries.”

 

“You're living with someone? Who?" Tim asked.

 

“MYOB, Batboy,” Bette teased. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll figure it out in no time.”

 

Tim frowned. “Is it one of your old Titans West friends?” His expression changed to exaggerated shock and horror. “ _Garfield_?”

 

“No. We shared an apartment once—not like that!—but that was when I was in L.A.”

 

“Okay, filing that one away for later,” Tim muttered. “Hawk? Dove? Both of them?”

 

Bette shook her head.

 

“Someone I know?”

 

“Maybe. It’s getting hard to keep track of.”

 

“A superhero?”

 

Bette nodded. 

 

“Wait.” Tim held up a hand. In a whisper, he said, “you’re bi, right?”

 

Bette nodded. “And out.”

 

Tim nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t want to—“

 

“No, it’s good.”

 

“So...guy or girl? Both? Neither?” 

 

“Girl.” 

 

“What are you guys doing?” Dick asked, stepping into the room. 

 

“Trying to figure out who Bette’s living with,” Tim said. “It’s a superhero, it’s a girl, and she doesn’t know if I know her.”

 

“Fun,” Dick said. He plopped down on the couch and rubbed his hands together. “Are they a Bird of Prey?”

 

“Yes,” Bette said.

 

“Dinah? Helena? _Zinda_?”

 

Bette paused for effect. “You’re right. But which one?”

 

“Well, Dinah’s dating Ollie, and I don’t think those two are into open relationships considering how they break up whenever they date someone else…Zinda’s old.”

 

“She’s time displaced, that doesn’t count.”

 

“Still…” Dick’s eyes lit up. “Helena is the logical choice.”

 

Bette raised her arms in surrender. “Okay, you got me!” She glanced at her watch. “Now I really have to go.”

 

“I know Helena!” Tim said, affronted. “She was, like, my first Robin team up!”

 

“Shoot, really? I’ll have to ask her about that. Who’d you fight?”

 

“KGBeast,” Tim said hurriedly.

 

Bette nodded.

 

“Say ‘hi’ for me,” Dick said.

 

“Will do,” Bette said, hurrying out the door. “Bye!”

* * *

Bette stepped through the doorway, two large brown paper grocery bags in her arms.

 

“Oh, good, you’re home,” Helena greeted her. “How was it at the Waynes’?”

 

Bette set down her grocery bags. “They were their usual selves. I watched tennis with Tim, left before Damian got home. He’s going to school, you know.”

 

“Poor kid,” Helena remarked, approaching the bags and starting to unpack.

 

Bette grinned. “Yeah. Then when I tried to leave, Tim and Dick put me through 20 questions about who you were. Dick says ‘hi,’ by the way.”

 

“They figured it out?” Helena handed Bette a bag of apples. “Put those in the fridge, will you?”

 

Bette obeyed. “Dick did. I accidentally threw Tim off.”

 

“So I can expect the shovel talk from him soon?”

 

Bette laughed. “I honestly don’t know if he cares that much.”

 

Helena didn’t join in the laughter, her face tucking into a frown. “He should.”

 

Bette smiled and quickly kissed Helena on the cheek. “Thanks, Hela.”

 

“I’m serious, Bettegirl,” Helena said, gesturing with the box of rice in her hand. It hissed as she swung it. 

 

Bette took the box gently. “It’s fine. He doesn’t really know me.”

 

“Then he should make more of an effort. You’re cousins.”

 

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Bette gently corrected, standing on tiptoe to slide the rice onto a high shelf.

 

Helena didn’t say anything. Bette turned around and stepped across the kitchen to where Helena stood, arms crossed and filled with righteous irritation. 

 

Bette sighed, taking Helena’s hands and pulling them out of their crossed position. “It’s okay. We’re not dating, anyway. We’re just gals sharing an apartment and trying to put together our wiped memories.”

 

Helena smiled, and Bette felt her heart melt a little bit.

 

“I think Wimbledon is still on if you want to watch the rest.”

 

“Thanks. Care to join me?”

 

Helena tilted her head, considering. “Only if when we watch Avengers, I get to criticize Hawkeye's archery technique.”

 

Bette grinned. “That’s the best part of watching Avengers with you.”

 

“Shouldn’t have wasted a favor on that, then,” Helena said, her lip quirking up.

 

“I’ll let it slide." 

They fell asleep on the couch, leaning on each other.

**Author's Note:**

> "Why is no one capitalizing on this backstory?" I ask in frustration.
> 
> "You literally made this backstory up with like two other fans." The universe replies.
> 
> Does this count as Batfam when it's about two auxiliary characters? Yes. That's what the Tim and Dick cameo is for.


End file.
